Learning Together
by R. Henry
Summary: Kelly is still dealing with the tragedies of his past and the relationships that have fizzled as a result. Willa is a teacher committed to her students trying to give them an experience with the CFD that will shape the rest of their lives. Together they teach each other about what it means to work together to fall in love. M for later chapters. Told through flashbacks. (On hold)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello All!**

 **This is my first story so please be kind and review. Every chapter will begin with the plot of the present day moving forward, which will trigger a memory or a story that will flash back.**

 **I do not own the characters of Chicago Fire, just Willa…for now.**

 **I would appreciate any feedback you would like to give me!**

 **xxR**

 **Chapter 1**

Kelly made his way into the firehouse and ran into the one person that he was looking for. He nodded at Casey looking nervous.

"Hey man, Happy birthday!" Severide didn't verbally respond but instead nodded again and continued to walk so he was only a few feet away from Casey. "What's up Severide? You look like something is wrong." Casey eyed his best friend suspiciously.

"Yeah its just—I uh— went by the jewelry store before shift." Kelly had his hands in his pockets and he was shifting nervously.

"Why would you—oh…" A sudden realization hit Matt. "OH!" He clapped his hand to the back of Severide's back. "Why didn't you tell me, man?!"

"I wasn't sure I was actually going to go through with it. You know how dumb I have been about it in the past." Kelly almost looked bashful. "She deserves more than me promising that I won't run off. She deserves to be cared about enough to be someone's wife." Kelly looked at Matt shakily. "My wife." Kelly smiled and Matt laughed nodding. "Jesus, that sounds bizarre."

"You'll get used to it. Trust me." Matt smiled and thought of how wonderful it was to be able to call Gabby his wife. "You're right though Sev. She is the best thing to happen to you. I am happy you got over your fear of marriage."

"It wasn't so much of a fear, as much as a misunderstanding of what real marriage looks like." Kelly's eyes softened as he thought of his favorite married couples, "Until now."

"Lemme see the ring." Matt asked. Kelly looked back at him blankly. "Come on, I know you have it on you. I carried Gabby's around for like a week and a half before I proposed." Severide smiled as he reached into his squad jacket and pulled out the velvet box.

Matt opened it and grinned. "Good work." Severide let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Lets go see what they cooked up for your birthday."

Kelly walked into the kitchen with his old army bag draped over his shoulder waiting to see what Jimmy had cooking. _Hopefully it was edible_ , Kelly thought. Jimmy wasn't as good as the previous two candidates that entered 51, but he was steadily improving. He set his bag down next to Mouch and the two nodded, the gentlemen's hello.

"What ya got Jimmy?" Kelly asked with curiosity. He was having a good morning and was hoping the streak would stay alive in the food department.

"Well Lieutenant, since it is your birthday, I figured I would pull out all the stops…"

"And by I, he meant me," Gabby walked in from floor with grocery bags in her hands. "Happy birthday Kelly!" She gave him a peck on the cheek as Kelly smiled and gave her a one armed hug.

"Thanks Dawson. You know how much I appreciate the birthday food Jimmy, but, Dawson, you should just go back to cooking. Give Jimmy something to aspire to."

Jimmy held his hand to his heart with the spatula still in it. "Ouch Lieutenant, that hurts." He said with mock offense. Gabby smiled, handed the bag to Jimmy and said,

"Just be glad you don't have to compete with Peter. He was the cooking champion around here." As she said this, she handed Kelly a card. It was from Mills. Gabby leaned over to whisper Kelly's ear, "there is a chocolate cake for you in your quarters from a certain former firefighting chef. I figured you would want that one for yourself."

"I could kiss you Dawson." Severide said grinning.

"You better not. She's a little taken." Casey said as the Chief strolled into the kitchen, from his office with a big smile on his face. Matt kissed the top of Gabby's head, while the Chief made his way to give Severide a birthday handshake.

"A little…?" Gabby smiled as she glanced down at the two rings on her left hand. "Tell that to your daughter, Lieutenant." Gabby kissed him on the cheek and Matt squeezed her side causing her to squeak and then laugh at her husband.

"Hey hey birthday boy!" Cruz, Hermann, Otis, Chili and Sylvie strolled into the kitchen. "Something smells good!" Cruz said as her reached over to grab a cinnamon roll.

Gabby smacked him with the spatula. "Those are the for the Lieutenant, Cruz." Cruz rolled his eyes, handed one to Kelly then picked on up for himself. Severide shook his head and laughed.

"What?" Cruz asked with a somewhat incredulous look on his face.

"So Kelly what is the plan for you tonight? Did Willa force you into something?" Matt asked, knowing the answer full well.

"Actually," Kelly began, smiling as he had sensed there was some sort of plan in the works (there always was with the boys at 51), "I think we are just going to grab a drink at Molly's then have some dinner. Nothing too fancy." Kelly smiled, made knowing eye contact with Matt and then got a bit flustered. He blushed, something that was about as common as a Mouch leaving the couch.

Gabby noticed Kelly's uncomfortable blushing and cocked his head while raising an eyebrow. "What is it Kelly?" he asked.

"Well…" Kelly didn't know if he should share.

"Well what Kell?" Hermann had joined the group who noticed that Severide was anxious and he was catching on faster than Kelly thought possible.

"I…um." Kelly shifted. "I was going to…um…"

"Kelly," Gabby was fully in front of Kelly now, "what are you going to do?"

"I am going to…uh…propose."

Otis spit out his milk. Hermann cocked his eyebrow even higher (if that was even possible) and Gabby burst into infectious smiling that even Kelly couldn't resist.

"You are?!" Herrmann, Otis and Gabby chimed at once, all with varying levels of shock.

"Yeah." Severide looked down, smiling, as he pulled the ring from his pocket. He opened the case and handed it off to Gabby, knowing she would take care of it.

"Oh Kelly!" Gabby grabbed the ring while covering her mouth with her free hand. She teared up a bit, making Kelly question whether or not he was doing the right thing.

"Do you think I should do this? I mean, I know I told her I didn't want to, and she and I aren't necessarily the best when it comes to figuring out the small stuff, and we aren't what either one of us thought we would end up with, but I just…"

"I am going to stop you right there Kelly," The Chief stifled Kelly's insecurity. "I know we have given you a hard time throughout you and Willa's relationship, but it was only because we knew she was different." Boden's eyes softened as he continued, "she is the one for you Kelly. We've all known it almost from the first time we met her, even if she didn't. Or you didn't. Or her boyfriend at the time didn't." Matt and the Chief chuckled and the room of firefighters followed suit.

Matt continued for the Chief, "She is what we want for you. Mostly, we are just mad it took you this long to figure out that she shouldn't just be your girlfriend, but she should be Mrs. Kelly Severide."

Kelly had a hard time not getting emotional, his eyes misted over. He stuck his hand out so that the Chief would shake it. "Matt. Chief. Thank you." It was a simple response, but it conveyed his idea on how much he truly wanted to be married to Willa. "Hopefully she will give me the best birthday present I could ever ask for," Kelly turned back to Gabby who placed the ring in his hand.

"She will. I know it." Gabby smiled brightly as the alarm went off.

"Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Vehicle Accident. Halsted and Randolph."

Everyone moved with speed to gear up and get in their respective trucks. Once they were off Cruz asked Kelly, "Hey Lieutenant. You remember when Willa came here for the first time?"

Kelly widened his smile, if that was even possible, "Yeah. I do. She was a force to be reckoned with in that bright blue dress."

Cruz looked a little surprised. "You remember what she was wearing?"

"Hell yeah." Kelly laughed a bit.

Cruz seemed a little confused. "What you fell in love with her that day, didn't you, so you had to remember her outfit?"

Kelly laughed again, a bit harder. "I only remember because it's hard to forget every detail when you get turned down as spectacularly as I did with Willa. Watching her walk away is firmly imprinted in my mind." The rest of the squad laughed from the back of the truck.

Cruz laughed longer and harder than the rest of the Squad. "She was not buying the playboy act, was she?"

"Hell no." What Kelly didn't tell Cruz was, he was right—he did fall in love with her that day. What a day that was.

 **Almost 2 years previous…**

Kelly was sitting in his chair at the squad table reading a book Leslie had bought him ages ago. He wasn't usually a reader, but he promised Shay before she died that he would get around to reading it, so he wasn't going renege on that promise now. He was just about to finish the chapter when there was a quiet voice that politely chimed in front of him.

"Excuse me," Kelly looked up from the war novel only to find a pretty auburn haired woman looking a little lost.

"Hello. Can I help you?" Kelly asked, standing up. He was struck by how breakable she seemed. She was short; her head didn't fall much higher than his shoulder, and she seemed to glow in the sunlight, a result of her pale, porcelain skin.

"Sorry, I should introduce myself," she shifted her bag to her other shoulder and reached out her hand. "My name is Willa Nixon. I am looking for Chief Boden."

Kelly took her hand. Her grasp was stronger than he expected and her smile was infectious. "I'm Lieutenant Kelly Severide. I will take you to his office." It was then that he took his time to look at her completely. She looked so happy, it made Kelly grin. She was wearing a royal blue sundress with wedges that added height to her small stature. Her lips were painted red and her eyes were bright. She was cheerful and walked with purpose. Something was incredibly comforting about her. Kelly could tell she was different. She wasn't what he was used to seeing.

Willa followed Kelly through the firehouse, conscious of all the stares she was met with when she passed though the kitchen/living room area. Some of the guys rolled their eyes, others chuckled to themselves and others just gawked at her. Willa smiled to herself and made a note to try and get an answer out of the Chief as to how the men behaved around women.

Mostly Willa wondered about Severide. He seemed almost morose, but there was something alive in his eyes. Willa knew when there was a fire in someone's eyes that all they needed was a spark. Something told her that Kelly had one hell of a spark inside of him.

They wound through the back of the firehouse to the Chief's office, Connie, Chief Boden's secretary, ushering them both in.

As they entered Willa thanked Severide. "Thank you Kelly. I appreciate it." He eyed her carefully, like he was suspicious of her motives. It wasn't necessarily off putting, but it did seem a bit odd to Willa, but she supposed this had to be a trait of the job, constantly looking out for danger in people, places, situations.

"You're welcome Ms. Nixon." He said simply and nodded at the Chief.

"Willa Nixon." The Chief smiled, making the Lieutenant relax. "It is so nice to finally put a face to the voice on the phone." They shook hands warmly. Willa chuckled.

Kelly wanted to hear more of her throaty laugh. It was enticing. "You too Chief! I am so excited to set things up with you! The kids are going to be thrilled to work with everyone."

 _Kids?_ Severide wondered. _She has kids? Or was she a teacher? Maybe she was looking for tours, or some kind of extended field trip._ He didn't have to wonder for long, the Chief answered his internal questioning.

"Kelly. Ms. Nixon—" she cut the Chief off

"Willa, please." Boden smiled warmly. Thinking that he admired her for having the guts to cut him off. She was brave, just like the men and women at 51.

"Willa," he stressed her name, "is setting up a vocational program for the students at the high school she teaches at so that they can test out the Fire Department and work with us on a sort of internship program. Two kids from the 12th grade will be chosen each quarter to come to the firehouse for 4 hours a shift, learning and interacting with us and trying their hand at paramedic and firefighting work." Willa seemed thrilled her smile grew as Boden explained the program to Kelly.

"Wow Chief. That seems like a lot of responsibility." Kelly said honestly. Willa's smile fell.

Defensively, she spoke, "A lot of my students don't have the opportunity to get internships outside of school and I am trying to give them options they have never had before. They deserve a chance." The Chief eyed Kelly, giving him a look that said, "tread carefully."

"I… I…" Kelly stumbled. He didn't want to disappoint her, but he didn't really know why. "I just mean, it will be tough dealing with an age group that we don't usually interact with. It's nothing that we can't handle though. I am sure that they are great kids." The Chief seemed happy with his response. Willa was still suspicious, but seemed to accept this answer. To the Chief, Severide said, "Have you talked to Casey yet?"

Willa didn't know who Casey was, but he or she seemed like another important part of the firehouse. He assumed that this person was another leader in the house. She hoped that he was more receptive to the idea than Kelly was. She wondered what made him so hesitant. Was it just more work that he didn't want to deal with, or was he worried about something else.

The Chief answered Kelly with a nod and added, "He and I discussed it briefly. Will you go find him? I think we should all sit down and hash out the details." Kelly nodded and left the room, leaving the Chief and Willa free to discuss.

"He seems a bit intense." Boden chuckled a bit to himself.

"He is. But he is talented and a good man. He will look out for the kids."

"I believe you Chief. I just want to make sure he understands that the kids aren't Candidates. They are here to see what the CFD has to offer and get a taste of what life might be like for them if they work hard. It might be their only chance." Boden noticed the slight hitch in her voice at her last sentence. She had to be one of the most intensely passionate people he had ever talked to.

"Willa, that's why I am so excited to help." She smiled at Boden's response and sighed.

"You say that Severide will back the kids, but what about the others? Will they want the kids around?" Willa seemed nervous.

"They will love it. Trust me. This house is a family Willa. And if they aren't particularly thrilled, well…then I guess I will just have to make it clear to them that they need to supportive." The Chief smiled and Willa laughed. Just as she was about to ask more questions about the serious faced Lieutenant, he reentered the room with a sandy haired man who she assumed was Casey.

He reached his hand out as soon as he spotted her. "Lieutenant Matt Casey." She grasped his hand and smiled. He seemed much more overtly friendly than Severide.

"Willa Nixon." Matt noticed just how brightly she smiled and returned her smile with one of his own. It was hard to turn someone down with a smile that contagious and a grip that firm. Matt could tell instantly that he liked her and that she would always be welcome at 51.

Matt liked the idea of bringing students into 51. He thought it would make the house more fun and give the guys something to do on their downtime. He was also game for pretty much anything that helped kids, especially ones who didn't have opportunity like the ones at Willa's school.

Kelly, Matt, Willa and the Chief discussed the parameters of the program; what the kids would be expected to know, how they would grade the students, what the students would and would not be allowed to do.

Everyone seemed to agree, this was good for 51 and this was good for the students.

Kelly wasn't convinced at first, but the more he listened to Willa describe her students, especially the ones she was working so hard to try and get into the program, it was easy for him to change his mind. She was so intensely impassioned about these kids, the feeling rubbed off on anyone she talked to—especially Kelly. It wasn't long before he was 100% convinced this was good for all parties involved.

As they wrapped up conversation, Kelly could feel himself looking at Willa longer than was justifiable. Something in her eyes and the way she carried herself made him aware of her on a whole new level.

At first Kelly thought it was just plain old lust. He wanted to sleep with her.

But.

As he thought about it, he realized it was more. He wasn't just attracted to her, he was drawn to her.

Willa shook hands with the Chief, "Thank you so much. I will bring the kids with me next shift so they can get started. I am sure there will be some papers I will need you to sign in between now and then, but as long as I have your OK, I think we should be good to go." Willa's smile was infectious.

"That sounds great to me Willa. I look forward to meeting your students." The Chief smiled and led Willa out of the office, with Matt and Kelly following. They moved through the kitchen to the floor where the Chief said goodbye and made his way back to his office.

Matt turned to leave, but Kelly remained firmly planted where he was standing. Some of the boys had come to watch the mystery girl leave. There was an audience.

Kelly acted without really thinking. "Willa!" She turned, well on her way to her car. Kelly ran to meet her outside of the house.  
"Yes Lieutenant?" She seemed suspicious. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just—uh—I wanted to know if you would, maybe, um, grab dinner with me tomorrow?" Kelly asked her nervously. He was unaccustomed to the feeling of unease around a woman. What was wrong with him? This never happened to him. Ever.

Her eyebrows shot up. She was confused. "You…what?" She didn't thnk she was hearing correctly.

"I want to take you to dinner tomorrow." This time Kelly tried to fake confidence, since it clearly was not making its usual appearance.

She stood, making him wait, with her hands on her hips, as she attempted to formulate a response. Finally she replied. "Kelly." Severide took note of her remembering his name. "What on earth makes you think that I am going to voluntarily go on a date with someone who is both a notorious womanizer and someone who, just 15 minutes ago, expressed concern for the education of MY students whom I care about deeply and want to succeed more than anything?"

Kelly deflated; his confidence was nowhere to be found now. "I didn't mean to—"

"Save it Kelly. I get it. I look like an easy lay for you." Kelly tried to interrupt. She really did seem different to him. "Don't try to argue. I'm not going to go get dinner with you Lieutenant. Not now. Not ever. What I AM going to do is continue to develop the program that YOU didn't want to be involved with that will save student lives." And at that, she turned and strutted out to her car, leaving an open-mouthed, shocked, and uncomfortably turned on Severide in her wake.

Cruz walked up to Severide and put his arm around him, "she was not buying the playboy act, was she?"

"No." Severide said, still not sure of what he had just witnessed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all! Thank you so much to everyone who subscribed, followed and reviewed! You are the best.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please keep reviewing!**

 **xxR**

 **Chapter 2**

The guys showed up at the crash and helped extract a young girl, who was about 18, from her car. She had been T-boned by an 80 year old man who was just about in tears and exclaiming over and over that he would give up his license.

"I shouldn't have been driving! My kids told me that I shouldn't have been driving!"

Kelly calmed him down. "Sir, its alright. She is talking and conscious. She just needs some help getting out of the car since her door is bent in. She'll be okay."

The rest of the guys used the Jaws to get her out. Once she cleared C-spine, she walked over to the old man herself.

"Don't worry! I'm okay." The girl said to the old man. He practically cried with relief as he gave her a hug and apologized over and over. She comforted him softly.

"I'm going to take them to the hospital to get checked out, but I think they are both okay." Sylvie said patting Kelly on the shoulder. "What a sweet girl." She smiled. Kelly was impressed with the girls maturity. Sylvie noticed Kelly's smile as he watched the two crash victims comforting each other. _The Lieutenant's gone soft._ Sylvie thought with a smile. _Thanks to Willa._

Before he met Willa, Kelly assumed all teenagers were punks who wanted nothing more than to cause trouble and screw around, but her perspective had made him realize that kids were just forgiving and kind. Sometimes their capacity to forgive superseded his own.

The boys packed up their gear and made their way into the Squad truck.

"So Kelly if you couldn't get Willa to go out with you the first time you asked, how did you finally snag her?" Cruz asked when they were settled in the truck, on the way back from the accident.

"It was a process, that's for sure." Kelly smiled.

"Aw, come on Lieutenant, you don't expect us to be satisfied with just that." Capp said as he and Cruz shared a look that was slightly dangerous. Kelly knew if he didn't spill they would go to Willa, who would be much more forthcoming and much less forgiving.

"Yeah come on Sev—why don't you just tell him" Casey chimed over the radio. He wondered who left the line open, probable Cruz who was grinning broadly.

"Casey. You should stay out of this." Kelly replied back with mock anger.

"I heard she lost a bet," Hermann added over the waves. Kelly laughed louder this time. Technically that was true.

"Alright… Alright… I'll tell you." Kelly grinned, knowing that he didn't mind telling any story that had to do with the woman he loved.

 **Two years earlier…**

Kelly was exhausted from his shift, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't make his body fall asleep. He even tried playing one of the old CDs from Shay's collection which used to make him pass out instantly, but that just made him think about how he couldn't walk into Shay's room and share what was going on in his head.

Sometimes, when he got home to Casey and his' place, Kelly would pick up the phone to call Shay and realize all over again that she was gone.

At first, when they had only just lost her, there was nothing that could ever make him forget she was missing in his life. Now though, every once in a while, he would be caught off guard at his ability to function without her in his life and it would make him even sadder.

Sure, he had dealt with her death head-on after his divorce, but he would never forget her. He would never stop feeling like she was missing out, or that he was missing the most important person in his life.

Times like these, when Kelly was excited about something—or in this case– someone it made him worried he would never be sure if he was feeling what he thought he was feeling because he didn't have his best friend around to tell him he was right—or wrong.

Willa was magnificent. He knew that. She was different. She was not what Kelly went for. She was Shay's type.

 _That's an odd realization._ Kelly thought. _Maybe I am just thinking about Willa in this way because I know Leslie would have been all over it._ Kelly knew that wasn't the case though. Shay would have backed him up on that. Shay would've loved Willa for him.

Kelly got up from bed, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and turned on the TV. Infomercials were playing on every channel he flipped though. _Who bought this stuff?_ Kelly wondered. _It's not like any of it worked._ He couldn't find anything else worth watching, so he just kept the channel on, cursing its stupidity.

But, for some reason, Kelly kept watching…and watching…and watching…

In her apartment, Willa was also awake.

She knew there was no way that she was going to sleep tonight, thanks to her visit to the station. She tried hard to pretend like it didn't hurt to walk though the doors of 51, but deep down it gutted her.

Sure, they weren't the same doors he walked through every day before he died, but they were close enough. The guys were the same. Friendly, jovial, slightly immature. They were just like the men she was so close with, not long ago.

It's not that she hated the experience; it was just a heavy reminder of the times she spent at firehouses, and the men she could barely face today—or any day.

And then there was Lieutenant Severide. _Why did he have to ask me out?_ Willa huffed as she fixed herself a hot mug of black tea with milk. _He was gorgeous. His eyes striking._ She tried not to focus on the physical aspects of Kelly's appearance, but it had been too long since Willa had been truly struck by someone's intensity.

 _He's so much more than a pretty face._ Willa couldn't believe she was thinking like this. _You have a boyfriend—sort of—Willa. Stop thinking about the hunky firefighting Lieutenant, even if he does reek of sex appeal. What would Adam say if he found out?_ Willa sighed. _Oh Adam._

To be honest, Willa knew it was time to call it quits with Adam Ruzek. They were both on the rebound. Adam was still in love with Kim, his ex-fiancé and fellow cop. It was abundantly clear to Willa and everyone—except Kim—that he should be with her.

 _Add that to the list of unpleasant things I need to do tomorrow._ Sunday's were supposed to be relaxing, but Willa found herself constantly busy on her weekends, doing the things she should've done during her week. Things like breaking up with boys who were still in love with their ex-fiancé. She needed to slow down, enjoy herself. _Maybe I should accept Kelly's offer._

 _No. I can't. He's too much._ Willa hit herself in the face with one of her couch cushions and sighed loudly.

Willa picked up the remote and was instantly sucked into an infomercial. They always convinced her. She had so many stupid products littered throughout her apartment from all the nights like this one; the nights when sleep evaded her and she was easily susceptible to the charms of saleswomen with big hair and too much makeup.

Willa hoped she wasn't the only one who fell for these tricks. She sighed, picked up her phone, and ordered something that looked like it may keep her from crying when she was cutting onions.

Kelly was hooked. He didn't think that he was stupid enough to fall for this kind of thing, but he found himself reaching for the phone ordering something that chopped onions and other vegetables at an alarming rate. _I hate cutting onions. This would be great._ He didn't for one second regret his purchase—at least not that night.

Kelly didn't know how long into the advertisement for the extendable mop/duster he fell asleep, but when he woke up it was 7AM and he had one hell of a crick in his neck.

He padded though the halls of the apartment, noticing that Matt's door was open. He presumably didn't come home the night before. _At least someone was getting laid_ , Kelly thought negatively.

Kelly made his way to his bed and drifted off to sleep for a few more hours, thinking about Willa and smiling just as he passed out when his head hit the pillow.

When he finally woke up, he heard voices in the kitchen. He walked in and found Casey and Gabby.

"Hey guys." Kelly said as he made a beeline for the coffee.

"You look like shit." Gabby was always so delicate. Kelly looked up and saw her smiling into her coffee, while Casey jokingly whacked her in the butt with a dish towel.

"Come on babe, I thought we were going to keep the insults of Severide to a minimum." Gabby made a face that said "when pigs fly" while Severide just laughed and acknowledged his worn down appearance.

"Couldn't sleep last night. Too much on my mind." He grabbed his coffee and sat down next to Dawson at the table.

"More like you were thinking about that rejection from the pretty redhead."

"Hey—I thought you were advocating keeping the insults of me to a minimum." Casey just laughed.

"It wasn't an insult, just an observation." _Damn,_ Kelly thought, _he's got me there._

"She was very cute." She looked over to Matt, "Not that you should be noticing." He laughed, shook his head and leaned down to kiss Gabby lightly.

"Don't worry **dear** she isn't my type." Casey said, playing the part of one half of an old married couple.

"You both make me sick." Matt and Gabby raised their eyebrows into the exact same expression. "Okay, you don't, but I **am** pretty sick of all the PDA." Matt laughed and Gabby made a noise that was personified disgust.

Matt sat next to Kelly. "Would you rather us fight?" Kelly shivered. He hated being in the middle of their fights.

"Or worse," Gabby became quiet with pseudo seriousness, "not talking to each other?" Kelly shook his head and laughed, getting up from the table.

"You guys are the worst." He set his mug in the dishwasher and made his way back to his room. "I'm going to the gym. I'll see you both later."

"Don't think you are getting away from a conversation about Willa!" Gabby called. _Great._ Severide thought _, just what I need. More of a grilling from Gabs._ If he didn't play his cards right, he was going to end up in a four hour conversation about the importance of being with someone who made him feel valued and how he needed to stop sleeping around and find a girl to settle down with. He wasn't sure when Gabby became his Mom, but it was getting to be a little too much. He had to start thinking about finding his own place.

Willa woke up the next morning feeling like hell. She knew she needed to break things off with Adam, but she also knew that was going to be a big, long, awkward conversation. She tried to avoid thinking about it for the time being and instead decided she would get all the errands she had been avoiding for roughly a week out of the way.

After doing her laundry and making a grocery list, she made her way to the gym, but decided she didn't really want to face anyone there, so instead went for a run. She was slightly shocked when she almost ran into the man that kept her up last night.

"Willa!" Kelly called out to her, not even winded. _Great_ , Willa thought, _I look like death. I never even considered putting makeup on and I am still slightly out of shape._ Kelly didn't seem to mind though. "Willa," he caught up with her, "I just wanted to say sorry for yesterday. I know I come off as a jerk, but I just wanted to get to know you. I really am excited to be working with your students."

Willa was caught slightly off guard. She didn't expect such a sincere apology from someone like Kelly.

Kelly didn't really know what he was saying either. _I came off to strong,_ He thought. _She is going to think I am some creep. I don't ever say that much to a woman. What is wrong with me? God. She is beautiful._

"It's okay Lieutenant. I understand." Willa decided she was going to be diplomatic. At least that is what she was telling herself she was being. Most likely she was just trying to get closer to the brooding handsome stranger who seemed sincere. "Firehouses require delicate leadership, they can be thrown out of whack easily. I get it. You were just trying to maintain the status quo." _Why am I still talking? Just tell him you will see him next shift and move on your way Willa._

Kelly raised his eyebrow a bit. _She knew a lot about firehouses._ Kelly wondered if she knew firemen or if she just did her research.

"Listen, I know I came off strong, but I really do want to get to know you better," Kelly was reaching, "You know… so that we can talk about the students."

Willa wasn't buying it. "Kelly, I think we should probably just keep our conversations **about students** limited to e-mail and when I come by the firehouse.

"Or we could get lunch?" Kelly offered. "A working lunch," he added desperately.

"I have a boyfriend." Willa blurted out.

"Oh." Kelly deflated.

"Sorry—I"

"No its okay. I get it. I'll see you at the firehouse next shift." Kelly shut down emotionally. _Wow,_ Willa thought, _he didn't take rejection well._

Kelly could take a hint. She was seeing someone and she didn't want to get involved with him. He left, quickly, embarrassed.

Willa groaned internally. _She did have a boyfriend. But not for long._ It was time for her to have a conversation with Adam.

Willa made her way to the grocery store, cleaned her apartment top to bottom and sent a text to Adam suggesting they meet up tonight and talk. He replied saying she should meet him at Molly's at 8.

The last thing that Willa wanted to do was meet Adam at his favorite bar and break up with him, but she didn't want to suggest something different just in case he was able to figure out her intentions.

She sighed and caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like she was a step away from death. She needed to shower and attempt to make herself human. She crawled into the shower and questioned why she was shaving her legs, since she clearly was getting any tonight.

Once she had finished her shower she dried her hair and put makeup on. She put too much eye shadow on, but for some reason she liked the look. Something about her mood made her want to wear dark clothes. She was looking very broody.

She grabbed a form fitting black skirt, dark red top and a leather jacket, added black tights and ankle boots and threw them on. She looked good. Potentially too good to breakup with Adam, but honestly Willa didn't mind. It was the first time in a few weeks that she felt like she should let her hair down and get a drink.

She walked into Molly's and spotted Adam at a back booth. He looked sad. He usually looked sad to be honest. Willa wasn't really sure what attracted her to him, but now she was thinking it was just loneliness.

Little did Willa know, Kelly was sitting at the far end of the bar, watching the people come and go nursing a beer. When he saw Willa walk in, he almost spit his beer on the bar.

"You okay Lieutenant?" Hermann asked Kelly, when he witnessed his near spit-take.

"Yeah, I just didn't expect to see her here." He pointed to where Willa was meeting Adam Ruzek.

"Yeah, I knew I recognized her from somewhere. She comes in with Ruzek every once and a while. I think they're dating."

"Oh. Gotcha." Kelly didn't like this development, because he liked Adam. _Damn though. She looks incredible._ Kelly lusted over Willa from afar, all while worrying he looked like some kind of creep.

Willa saw Adam almost as soon as she entered the bar.

"Hey Adam." He smiled when she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The smile never did reach his eyes.

"Hey babe." Willa cringed. She hated when he called her that. It was so insincere. Plus, she knew he called Kim babe when they were together. "You wanted to talk about something?" His eyes seemed hesitant, like he knew what was coming.

"Yeah. I just—" The waitress came by. Willa got one of her favorite craft beers. Adam already had a whiskey.

"Sorry, go ahead Willa." Adam knew he didn't need to apologize, but he did anyway. _He was such a sweetheart._

"We both know this has stalled." Willa began, but Adam didn't react. He really was prepared for this. "You were trying to get over Kim, and all I have done is make you remember everything you missed about her." Adam went to speak, but Willa cut him off. "Just one sec, I want to say one more thing." He nodded. "I know that my last relationship was awful. You taught me that there are good guys out there, but Adam, you still love her."

Adam looked upset, but he knew he needed to speak for himself. "You know, I'd like to say you were wrong, that I'm not in love with Kim, that you are the one for me, but honestly, I'm just happy you were the one who said it." He shook his head and sighed. Willa must have shown her relief on her face because Adam looked at her and chuckled. "What? You thought I was going to put up a fight?"

Willa returned his laughter. "No, but I am happy you know that you need to go for her."

Adam looked nervous now. "How the hell am I supposed to get her back Willa?" Willa shook her head. "Shit—sorry. I'm probably not supposed to ask my now ex-girlfriend how I plan on getting my ex-fiancé back."

"Honestly Adam, I would rather you did. I like Kim. She helped me out when Andrew went off the deep end. She is a great person." Adam smiled, this time it reached his eyes. "I don't know how much I can do, but if there is any way I can help you get back together with her, I will do just about anything."

"Thank you Willa." Adam grabbed Willa's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You know you are a pretty special person yourself."

Willa laughed waiting for him to say something like "some guy will be lucky to have you," but he didn't.

"You taught me how to be a better guy Willa. Thank you for that."

Tears misted in Willa's eyes. Adam really was an incredible person.

"Not to be cliché or anything," Willa said, "But we can still be friends, right?"

Adam laughed, got up from his seat and hugged Willa, "Of course we can. I'm going to settle this up." He pointed to the bill that had just come to the table. "I'll see you around Willa. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks Adam. You do the same." Willa stayed in the booth, thinking. _Thank God people like Adam exist._ Willa looked up at the TV screen trying to catch up on the bit of the Hawks game she had missed. She eventually became lost in thoughts about her relationship with Andrew, trying to think of ways to get Kim back with Adam and just generally wondering where her love life was going to end up, when Christopher Hermann walked up to her booth.

"Hey! You're the teacher who is sending her students to our house, right?" Willa looked up. He was smiling.

"That's me," Willa extended her hand, "Willa Nixon."

"Christopher Hermann. I own the place with a few other firefighters from 51. It's really nice to meet you. The Chief is really excited to have some kids around to show the ropes to, and so are the guys."

"Thanks Christopher. I know the kids will have a great experience." She tried to hide her conflicting feelings about firehouses from the middle-aged man, but he was too perceptive.

"Something tells me you know your way around a firehouse."

Willa was a bit taken aback. "Yeah…" she didn't know how much she really wanted to share. "I—my brother was a firefighter." Christopher acknowledged the information, and the "was," but didn't push.

"Well, like I said. We are all excited about having some new faces around. Especially beautiful teachers." He laughed when Willa blushed.

"Hermann, are you flirting with this poor woman?" It was **his** voice. Kelly's voice. Willa stilled. She didn't expect to see him tonight.

"Kelly." It was a statement, not a question or admonishment.

"I'll leave you two to talk. Grab you another beer, Willa?" Willa nodded.

"Thank you Christopher."

"So, what brings you here?" Kelly slipped into the booth directly across from Willa.

Willa didn't know how to respond. Did she admit that she just broke up with Adam 5 minutes previous? Did she admit that she found Kelly irresistible? _This is way too complicated._ She settled for, "I met a friend."

"So Adam's just a friend now?" Kelly smirked as he brought his beer to his lips.

Willa went on the defensive. "How did you know about Adam? Were you asking about me?"

"Honestly?" He paused, took a sip, and then continued, "I've been here for about an hour and a half. I saw him walk in, you walk in, you both talk, and him leave."

Willa let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Shit," was all Willa said. Kelly laughed a bit.

"Wanna talk about it?" Kelly asked quietly. Willa wasn't sure if she should open up to a total stranger, but at this point in the night she just needed to try and talk things through.

"He's still in love with Kim." Kelly nodded. He must've been pretty aware of the situation. "Adam's a good guy, but it was just a…I don't know…a…"

"Band-Aid?" Kelly suggested.

"Exactly." She took a long swig of her drink. "He helped me out with a bad situation, and I think we were what each other needed. Now though, we have to move on and not retreat from reality." She finished the drink quickly and efficiently.

"Look, from my experience," Kelly said, "once you can stop pretending to be something you aren't, you are ready to be the person you are. I think, if I can trust what I saw between you and Adam, that you both are in that place."

"Yeah." Willa smirked. "Thanks Kelly. You are quite the philosopher." He chuckled. "Sorry to put a damper on your evening," Willa apologized.

"Please, I was at Molly's on a Sunday drinking alone until you came along. I'll grab you another. Is that a Two Brothers?"

"Yeah, thank you again Kelly." She smiled and watched the game while she waited for him to come back. The second period was about the end. They were tied with the Predators 1-1. Kelly set the beer down in front of Willa.

"You like hockey?"

"Like?" Willa looked at him with horror. "I love the Hawks." This spurred a roughly 10 minute conversation about the state of the team this season and about the roster. Kelly was impressed. She knew her stuff.

"Did you ever play?" Kelly asked. Willa flushed a bit, which confused Kelly.

"No. I didn't. My uh—my brother did. I was just his biggest fan. I even dated one of his teammates much to his dismay."

Kelly laughed. _Wow. He has a great laugh,_ Willa thought. The way his eyes flashed when he found something funny made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"How about you? You ever play?" Willa asked.

"Nah. I wish I would've. We never had the money growing up, but Hermann's son plays. We all like to show up to his games and give him an intense cheering section."

"You guys really are a family, huh? The Chief wasn't kidding." Willa observed.

"The guys—and girls," he added for good measure, "at 51 are the best people to have on your side. Your students will become a part of the family too, and you can be part of it, if you want to be."

Will didn't miss the implications of what Kelly said, but she kept quiet. She wasn't sure if she could get close to another family. Kelly noticed the sadness wash over her. Something happened to Willa that made her skittish around the house.

"I feel like I have been saying this all night Kelly, but thank you…again." She grabbed his hand on a whim, not really sure what she felt about the sudden action, just knowing it felt right.

Kelly looked straight into her eyes and smiled. "Anytime Willa." At that moment Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" came on in the bar and both could sense the electricity in the air. Neither looked at each other, but they knew what the other was thinking.

"I have a proposition for you." Kelly said suddenly. Willa arched an eyebrow, but didn't protest. "If the Hawks score to win the game, you go on a date with me Thursday night. If the Preds score, I won't ask you out again—for at least another two weeks." He added the last part with a grin. Willa laughed a throaty chuckle.

She was nervous, but Willa knew she couldn't turn him down for a third time. Now she would leave it up to chance. If the Hockey Gods wanted her to go out with Kelly, then she was going to let it happen.

"You've got a deal Lieutenant." She said coyly, not making direct eye contact. They shook on it.

For the entirety of the third period, they chatted about work, the mechanics of some of the squad procedures Willa wasn't as familiar with, the students, what their personalities were like and what their families were like. Kelly spoke about his job with passion and intensity. He clearly loved being on squad, but his face truly lit up when he told stories about his men and their interactions. Kelly noticed too, that when Willa talked about her students, she became particularly animated.

"So you've been a teacher for how long?" Kelly asked. Willa didn't answer right away as Hossa had a breakaway and her heart skipped a beat. He hit the post and Willa tried to pretend like she hadn't just had a heart attack.

"I started out of college, I went to U of I. I was 22 when I taught at a suburban school for two years, and then moved closer to the city when I was getting my Master's Degree at Depaul. I've been at this school now for four years."

"Sounds like a lot more school that I would've managed." Kelly remarked.

"It was a lot, but I was always a little too fond of school." Willa chuckled. "Everyone always said I would be a perfect teacher, since I was too excited about learning."

Kelly laughed. "You know I don't think you ever said what class you taught."

"History and Government. I setup the co-op program to help kids get involved with law-enforcement and first responders so that they would know their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Most of the kids in the school are low-income and they need to understand that they can make it in the world without an expensive college degree, since most of them can't even remotely afford it."

"Wow." Kelly was impressed. "You really are exceptional, you know that." Just as Willa got a little lost in his eyes when he complimented her, Jonathan Toews scored the game winner off an assist from Duncan Keith. The bar erupted in cheers, including Kelly. Willa broke out into a dazzling grin.

"Well, I guess you are stuck with me now." She laughed and finished her beer in one gulp. Kelly laughed, elated that he could finally convince her. Even if it did come down to a bit of gambling.

 **Two years later…**

"You mean to tell me, that Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith got you a date?" Cruz asked his Lieutenant.

"You bet your ass they did." Casey replied over the radio.

"The hockey Gods were looking out for me on that one. That's for sure." Kelly smiled and thought about the diamond ring in his locker back at the station. _Thank God for hockey._


End file.
